An Unexpected Visit
by Evening Rain
Summary: When Naruto gets sick, Sasuke is forced to check up him. But when he arrives, will Sasuke simply find his annoying rival, or will the young shinobi stumble across something much more precious...friendship? just fluff, hints of sasunaru
1. An Unexpected Visit

**An Unexpected Visit**

**Summary**: When Naruto gets sick, Sasuke is forced to check up him. But when he arrives, will Sasuke simply find his annoying rival, or will the young shinobi stumble across something much more precious...friendship? (just fluff, hints of sasunaru)

**Disclaimer**: Sadly, I don't own any of the Naruto characters...

_I hope you enjoy, and please give me lots of feedback!_

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Sasuke glared. Well, perhaps this was an understatement, as the young Uchiha really did nothing but glare. No, the look he was currently fixing his sensei with was one of hatred, contempt, and absolute venom. In short, if looks could kill, said sensei would currently be six feet under.

So naturally, it was very fortunate indeed that Kakashi was immune to his pupil's infamous eyes and their ability to make blood run cold. Ignoring the images of his very violent death being projected from the prodigy genin's eyes, Kakashi smiled sweetly at his student from behind his always-present mask.

"Something troubling you, Sasuke?"

"Why do _I_ have to go?"

If Kakashi was not absolutely certain that Uchihas were incapable of something as degrading as whining, he would have sworn that the youngest survivor of the powerful clan had done just that. However, it was impossible for the almighty Uchihas to actually whine, so he must have been mistaken.

With unwavering, teacher-like patience that would have made even Iruka proud, Kakashi pinned the young brunette before him with a one eyed glance of his own, taking a deep breath to explain the mission yet again. "_You_ have to go because a) I am spending Team 7's off time doing a special mission, b) Naruto's neighborhood can be a bit…rough around the edges, and c) I'm not sure what state of dress our number one hyperactive ninja might be in when you arrive, so it wouldn't do to send our innocent Sakura on this mission. Understood?" His tone left no room for argument.

Grumbling darkly to himself, the words too soft for Kakashi to properly pick up but oddly resembling "hopeless dobes" and their "meddling pervert sensei", Sasuke rose to his feet and trudged towards the door. Grabbing the grocery bag Kakashi had left on the table before leaving, the young avenger slammed the door on his way out, causing every window in the house to rattle.

"Well," Kohona's illustrious Copy Cat Ninja mused quietly to himself, eyes twinkling merrily as his fished a copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ from his vest pocket, "that went well."

Surely this could not be right. His worthless, pervert-of-a-sensei must have given him incorrect directions, because it was impossible that anybody, even the dobe, lived here.

Sasuke's sullen march had finally brought him to the foot of a rundown chain of apartments in the slums of Kohona, and the term "rundown" was being generous. The crumbling complex was covered with graffiti, trash littering the steps leading to its front door that hung haphazardly from its hinges, kicked in long ago. Scanning the windows of the upper floors, Sasuke wasn't surprised to find that over half of them were covered in grime, broken, or simply missing. Rats the size of dogs prowled the streets for scraps, and from within the building came the wail of several crying children.

The dark genin checked the address in his hand for the eighth time, once again confirming that it did in fact match the apartment-from-Hell before him. Finally shaking himself from his shock induced stupor, Sasuke squared his shoulders, dodged a very drunk beggar, and headed up the stairs towards the fourth and final floor of the complex.

Walking down a dimly lit hallway, the he squinted at the peeling numbers marking each appartment's door, trying to make them out in the flickering light. At one point Sasuke had to suppress a very un-Uchiha-like squeal as he accidentally stepped on one of the dog-rats' tails and almost had his ankle bitten off as punishment.

Finally he reached his destination, a dismal-looking door at the very end of the dingy hallways. After checking the address one last time, he knocked hesitantly at the door, almost afraid of who or what would open it.

When there was no immediate answer, Sasuke rapped his knuckles against the wood harder, calling out impatiently. "Oi dobe, open up, its me."

Still receiving no reply, the genin reached for the doorknob and attempted to force the door open, but was surprised to find it very firm and unmoving. "Naruto?" he called again, wondering if the younger boy had gone out.

However, just as he was about to hightail it out of his very uncomfortable surroundings, Sasuke heard a faint rustling from within the apartment. Pressing his ear to the door, he was able to make out soft footsteps dragging tiredly towards the door. When their owner finally reached the door, there was a long series of clicks as multiple locks and chains were unlocked and unfastened, and finally the door opened cautiously a crack, an azure eye peering warily at its visitor.

"Sasuke?" The Uchiha had to wince in sympathy. His teammate sounded awful; his voices scratchy and exhausted, and his one visible eye half lidded due to interrupted sleep.

He opened his mouth to respond, but before Sasuke could get a word out, the door across the hall swung open, an old, graying woman with a baseball bat glowering menacingly at him from the apartment within.

"Everything ok, Naruto-chan?" she asked gruffly, glaring suspiciously at the pale boy before her. Despite her apparent old age, Sasuke found himself backing up towards Naruto's door, deciding that this was one lady he defiantly did not want to cross.

"It's fine Mai, he's a friend of mine."

After giving Sasuke a long, measuring look, the old woman finally broke out in a warm smile. "Well in that case, you're more than welcome to visit! Any friend of our little Naruto here is a friend of mine! He doesn't have nearly enough of them for my taste. 'Bout time one of you showed up to help the poor dear out, he's been just miserable."

By this time the aforementioned genin had fully emerged from his apartment, joining them out in the hall. Mai fondly reached forward and ruffled his head of unruly gold curls affectionately. "I have to go out for a while honey, but I can check up on you this evening if you'd like. That fever of yours is starting to worry me."

Naruto's cheeks were dusted a faint pink, and Sasuke wasn't sure if the coloring was due to a blush or the fever. Perhaps it was a bit of both. "Thanks Mai, but I'll be fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure thing, squirt," she smiled softly at him again before turning to Sasuke. "Keep an eye on him, huh?" Sasuke nodded a bit awkwardly, not used to the idea of "keeping an eye on" or caring for anyone but himself, least of all Naruto.

Her mother-hen instinct seemingly satisfied for the moment, Mai retreated back to the apartment, swinging her baseball bat cheerfully.

The two boys remained in the hall, staring awkwardly at one another for a moment before Naruto cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?" He asked bluntly.

"Kakashi sent me."

"Ah," the blonde nodded, turning back to his apartment. "Well come on in then, before the rats eat you." Sasuke wasn't sure if he was joking of not, but wisely decided that he didn't want to wait and find out.

Whatever Sasuke had imagined his rival's apartment looking like, it had definitely not been the scene before him. As he surveyed the small but tidy room before him, the Uchiha was tempted to go back into the hall and make sure this was the same grimy building he had been looking at before.

Once the door was firmly closed behind them and Naruto had refastened over a dozen locks, the kyubi container gestured his guest farther into his home. The room they had just entered, seemingly the main room of the apartment, served as both a kitchen and a living room, the far end sporting a small sink, stove, and refrigerator. This small cooking area was marked off by a short island counter, with several bar stools pulled up to it.

The other half of the room was furnished sparsely with a faded rug, battered couch, and overstuffed reclining chair. A small t.v. sat in the corner, although it didn't seem to get much use. Most of the furniture in the room looked like they had been picked from the trash and cleaned up or repaired as well as possible, and although it was obvious their owner was far from well off, their odd combination gave off a sort of cozy feeling.

Two doors branched off from the main room, and Sasuke assumed they lead to the bathroom and bedroom. His scan of the house complete for the moment, he returned his indifferent glance towards is teammate, taking in his haggard appearance.

To put it simply, Naruto looked horrible. The normally chipper blonde sported dark bags under both eyes and had clearly been in bed all day, a set of orange (surprise surprise) boxers and a white tank top serving as his pajamas. The end of his nose was a brilliant shade of pink, and his slouched posture screamed of discomfort and misery. As a pitiful cough escape his teammate's lean body, Sasuke was almost overcome with sympathy. Almost.

"I thought the great Uzumaki Naruto _never_ got sick," he taunted as he tossed the bag on younger boy's counter. His smug statement earned him a dark glare.

"Yeah well, my…er…immune system and I had a disagreement, and he- I mean _it_- decided that as long what I have won't kill us- er, _me_- then I just have to suffer through it. The blonde closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, mentally commanding his "immune system" to stop laughing evilly at his state of misery. "What'd you bring me?" He motioned with his chin to the bag.

Sasuke shrugged, settling himself on a barstool and trying to ignore how pitiful and oddly…cute Naruto looked in his rumpled state. "Whatever Kakashi put in there."

The blonde opened the bag curiously, silently praying that _Icha Icha Paradais_ was not on his teacher's list of "get-well" items. His prayers were answered as he emerged with a large bowl of ramen, a box of green tea, several bottles of pills, and a container of salve whose label claimed it helped with breathing. Just your standard, I-have-a-cold kit.

"Tell him thanks for me," Naruto sniffled as he placed the ramen in the fridge for later (he must really be sick, Sasuke realized with some surprise) and began studying the directions on the pill bottles warily.

Unable to resist the pathetic creature before him any longer, Sasuke reached forward to snatch the bottles from his tanned, training-scarred hands. "Oh, just let me," he groused irritably, angry that the dobe had managed to melt a little of his heart of ice once again.

"Thanks," the blonde mumbled weakly, his compliance a clear testament to his exhaustion. "What's Sakura up to?" He attempted small talk hesitantly.

"The hell if I know," Sasuke tossed back, placing several pills in the younger boys hand and searching for a cup to fill with water.

"Don't bother," Naruto stated dryly before tossing his head back and swallowing them dry. Without another word, he grabbed the container of breathing salve off the counter and stumbled blearily into the darkness of this bedroom, Sasuke tagging hesitantly at his heels.

When fumbling fingers found a light switch and brought the room into illumination, Sasuke couldn't hold back his snort of amusement. Now _this_ was the Naruto he knew and lo- well, that he knew. The room's walls were bright orange, a circular rug covering most of the wooden floor a sunny yellow. Not that you could really see the rug, as it was buried beneath a sea of clothes, various weapons, and dirty tissues. The bed also looked like a tornado had hit it, the blankets knotted and bunched every which way. To the side, a window (surprisingly unbroken) provided a not-so-spectacular view out onto the street, and beneath it sat a battered wooden desk and chair, overflowing with books, scrolls, and more weapons.

Naruto trudged tiredly to the bed, flopping down with a groan and pulling a pillow over his head. As the pillow shifted over his mountain of spiky hair, Sasuke registered with some surprise the set of kunai that glittered from its newly exposed hiding place. Who knew the dobe slept with weapons? Though in _this_ neighborhood…

Sasuke lingered in the doorway, unsure of what to do. Although when normally dealing with his obnoxious rival he would have been gone ten minutes ago, now, staring at the half-dead genin before him, Sasuke couldn't shake of the urge to stay and…well perhaps "play nurse" was pushing it, but definitely help, at least a _little_.

Approaching the figure on the bed, Sasuke cleared his throat, unsure of what to do. At the noise, the boy before him turned his head slightly, blue eyes staring owlishly out at him from a fever flushed face. "You're still here?"

Awkward and at a loss for words, the youngest Uchiha settled for stating the obvious. "You look terrible."

"What a coincidence, I _feel_ terrible." The older boy winced a bit at the irritable tone.

"Can I, uh…help?" If the words sounded weird to Sasuke, they just about bowled Kohona's number one hyperactive ninja over. The blonde stared at his teammate for several moments, blinking in a state of shock over his question. Finally shaking himself out of it, he cleared his throat carefully.

"Um…you could grab the spare blanket from the closet for me…it's freezing in here." Sasuke nodded silently, still shocked at his own offer, and turned to retrieve the blanket despite the fact that Naruto's bedroom wasn't cold at all.

Together the two boys made up Naruto's bed, Sasuke's worry for his companion growing every second as the smaller boy began to wheeze slightly, sweat dripping from his face. He considered calling their pink haired teammate for a moment; she always had a knack for taking care of people, but decided against it as Sakura would probably gush over him instead of Naruto. Besides, this neighborhood was no place for their naive, innocent friend.

The bed made, Naruto sat down, a series of deep coughs racking his toned chest as he reached for the breathing salve on this nightstand. Gathering a small amount of it in his hands, he smeared some on his chest, hissing at the coolness, and then began reaching awkwardly to apply it to his back as well. After watching his halfhearted attempts for several long moments, Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed the salve from his loose grip, plopping down on the bed behind him.

"Take off your shirt and lie on your stomach," he instructed tonelessly, warming some of the salve between his hands. Naruto wordlessly obeyed, too tired at this point to even give his usually cold teammate a look of puzzlement.

Warm, slick hands descended on his back, causing Naruto to jump in surprise. The hands paused for a moment, Sasuke peering curiously down at him. "Too cold?"

"N-no, its fine."

Talking ceased between the two boys, Sasuke setting to work on his rival's back, pale hands diligently working in the salve and massaging out the knotted muscles caused from hours of coughing. Although Naruto tensed at the odd sensation at first, he eventually relaxed and let Sasuke's skilled hands work, closing his eyes and going limp beneath his ministrations.

When Sasuke dug his thumbs into a particularly stubborn knot of muscles in the middle of Naruto's lower back, the younger boy let out a moan of appreciation, too far gone to even realize what he was doing. Burrowing his head into the pillow beneath him, the blonde sighed contentedly, his breathing finally coming out slow and even. If Sasuke hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that the boy below him was _purring_.

Getting up and wiping the excess salve from his hands, Sasuke felt his lips twitch into a slight smile before pulling the blankets over his sleeping friend. _'How do you do it, Naruto?'_

Shaking his head bemusedly, he crept silently from the bedroom, and after a moment's consideration, settled himself on his friend's worn couch, prepared to stand guard over his rival…his _friend_, for the remainder of the night.

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_Well, what do you think? Should I keep going, or just leave it at that?_


	2. To Stay or to Flee

**An Unexpected Visit**

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own Nartuo

_Everyone seems to thinkI should continue it, so I'll give it a shot...please keep reviewing!_

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Naruto blearily opened his sluggish eyes as pale predawn light began to fill his cluttered bedroom. Feeling a bit disoriented, the blonde began to slowly separate dream from reality, a task that was proving difficult due to his fever and pounding headache.

Dancing ramen bowls…Dream.

Sasuke dropping by with a care package…Naruto surveyed his bedroom sleepily, spotting a foreign bottle of pills on his nightstand that he hadn't purchased. Alright, reality then.

Sasuke massaging him to sleep…The groggy kyubi boy actually let out a derisive snort of laughter at the thought. _Definitely_ dream, and a weird one at that. Though he _was_ finding breathing a lot easier and less painful this morning…

With a sigh, Naruto slowly swung his feet over the side of his bed and onto the cold wooden floor, shuffling unsteadily out of his room. However, halfway to the bathroom, the young genin froze in surprise, spotting a very foreign and yet oh-so-familiar head of black spiky hair peaking out over the edge of his battered sofa.

Approaching with extreme caution, the blonde peered down at his sleeping teammate in confusion. '_Sasuke is…on my couch?'_ Frowning, he shook his head and tried again. '_Sasuke is…sleeping over at my apartment?'_ His frown deepened.

No, no matter how he phrased it, this situation was not commuting. Unless the very fabric of space and time were unraveling, Naruto could find no plausible explanation for the existence of a slumbering Uchiha on his sofa.

Perhaps he was hallucinating from his fever again, then? But this also did not seem likely, as the dancing ramen bowls were no where to be seen…

His feverish mind unable to comprehend the paradox before him, the young kyubi container simply stood over his teammate, staring dumbly at the slow rise and fall of the other boy's chest. '_Funny, he looks almost peaceful like this…_'

"It's rude to stare, dobe," came a monotone drawl from the prone figure on the couch. Almost jumping out of his skin, Naruto glanced down and found himself meeting the annoyed glare of twin obsidian pools.

"S-Sasuke," he managed to sputter, embarrassed that he had been caught. "I was just…and then you were…what are you _doing_ here?" he finished lamely, collapsing into the vacant chair next to the couch.

Heaving an impatient sigh, the Uchiha rose gracefully from the couch, running fingers through tangled spikes of unruly black hair. "I thought we already went through this, baka. Kakashi sent me to check up on you." Alright, so his sensei had really only sent him to make a quick delivery, but Sasuke wasn't about to openly admit his concern for Naruto, or try to explain why he stayed the night; he wasn't even sure he knew the reason himself.

Still wearing a confused expression, Naruto opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Sasuke sent a silent prayer of thanks for the distraction.

Naruto began to struggle out of the chair and towards the door, but Sasuke stopped him, pushing him firmly but gently back down. "Sit," he ordered sternly, leaving no room for argument as he began to undo the never-ending line of locks on Naruto's door.

"Wait," Naruto rasped, shifting in the chair but obeying rules and staying seated. "Check first, don't let anyone but Mai or Iruka-sensei in."

"_Really_, because I was going to invite this nice burglar waving a kunai around in for tea," Sasuke quipped sarcastically, trying to jiggle a particular stubborn chain loose.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the sarcasm. "Teme," he muttered darkly, leaning back and pinching the bridge of his nose as a headache continued to pound through his temples. So he was a bit overly cautious, so what? The genin had a learned at a very young age that people in the village were not always…hospitable towards the kyubi container, and in a neighborhood like this, he often received visitors that were interested in more than "checking up on him"…

Leaving the last three chains fastened, Sasuke cracked the door open cautiously to peer out into the hall. The fingers of his right hand drifted slowly towards the weapon pouch on his leg, ready to pull a kunai instantly if he need to. However, instead of finding a burglar or even worse, one of those rat-dogs, he was instead greeted by familiar figure of Mai, her trustee baseball bat absent for the moment. Giving her a nod of acknowledgement, the young Uchiha shut the door and began unfastening the last few chains.

"Why don't you just install a peep hole?" he tossed carelessly over his shoulder, partly in exasperation with the locks and partly in curiosity of his teammates living conditions.

Naruto didn't even blink. "Ninja needles," came the instant reply. The older boy tried not to wince at the painful mental image that suggestion created. Obviously his companion had put a lot of thought into this already.

"Hn," was the only response he gave as he finally swung the door open.

"Well look whose here," Mai sang out cheerfully, marching past Sasuke into the apartment in one fluid motion, her eyes crinkling merrily. Raising and eyebrow at the Uchiha's signature blank expression, she shook her head in exasperation. "Well don't just stand their, you baka, shut the door before the rats get in."

Sasuke bristled indignantly, his eyes narrowing into the infamous Uchiha glare. Baka? Who the hell did this old hag think she was? However, Mai received and deflected the glare with a single easy glance, a skill Sasuke had only though Kakashi was capable of. Opening his mouth to say something truly nasty, the Uchiha found himself interrupted by a weakly suppressed cough, and then had to blink in surprise as all of a sudden Mai was gone, disappearing before his eyes as she swooped instantly to Naruto's side, fussing motherly over the younger boy.

Grumbling darkly to himself, Sasuke shut the door with a little more force than was needed and fastened all the locks once more, before turning to observe the odd pair before him.

Mai had a hand on Naruto's flushed forehead, tutting disapprovingly to herself. "I see your fever hasn't gone down much." Naruto didn't even respond, instead relishing the cool touch of her hand. Ruffling his curls again, Mai smiled kindly down at the young genin, "though your breathing does seem a bit easier this morning. That's a relief."

Ignoring Sasuke for the time being, Mai straightened up, glancing around the apartment casually as she continued her steady stream of motherly chatter. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

"No," Naruto replied, wrapping a blanket firmly around his shoulders, "but Kakashi sent over some ramen with Sasuke, I'll eat it later."

"Humph, that's what you said about the soup I made yesterday, and I found the whole lot of it in the trash."

The conversation continued this way for several minutes, and Sasuke found that despite his best efforts, he was becoming very amused watching this old woman verbally batter his loudmouthed, stubborn friend into submission.

Finally Mai seemed satisfied with her interrogation. After shooing the younger boy off to bed, she turned her attention at last to the Uchiha. "Right then, I need to get to work," she offered the brunette a genuine smile. "It was very kind of you to spend the night with Naruto, that poor child doesn't have enough people in his life who care that much about him." She closed her eyes sadly, speaking softly to herself, "imbecilic, short sighted people of this town…"

Shaking her head, she smiled again at Sasuke. "But it's good to see he has at least one good friend." Sasuke shuffled his feet, extremely uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going. Good friend? Caring? These were not the kind of words one would normally describe the young Uchiha with. He had no encumbering friendships. He cared for no one but himself. He was an avenger.

But then why had he stayed?

Mai interrupted his confused line of thought, opening the door back to the hall. "Make sure he eats something, alright? And watch that fever."

Sasuke almost choked in surprise, something akin to panic rising in his chest. "Me? But I'm not…I mean this was just a -"

"Thanks dear, I'll be back this evening!" And with that she was gone.

Sasuke stared at the closed door, sputtering helplessly, and for once in his life was at a complete loss of what to do.

When he had woken up this morning and discovered Naruto standing over him, staring groggily in confusion, Sasuke had been swept by a wave of embarrassment and awkwardness. What had he been thinking last night? Why had he stayed the whole night? Why had he stayed at all? He _should_ have left as soon as he had delivered the package and confirmed that Naruto was still alive. And perhaps the most troubling of all, why did staying in this rundown apartment with Naruto all day sound oddly…appealing?

Brushing impatiently at a lock of black hair that had fallen into his eyes, Sasuke peered anxiously at the doorway leading into his teammates bedroom where the young boy was currently dozing in bed, still debating on what action to take.

To stay or to flee? After all, Naruto hadn't heard Mai ask Sasuke to stay, and the young boy obviously wouldn't expect his archrival to do so. Since the younger genin was currently asleep, he wouldn't even notice that Sasuke had left.

No, escape was not the problem. There shouldn't be anything preventing the Uchiha from leaving this shabby, rat hole of an apartment and spending his valuable time doing something much more productive, like training, or imaging creative and violent deaths for Itachi, or even angst-ing, another of the sullen boy's favorite pastimes. _Anything_ would be better than babysitting Naruto.

And yet…

And yet for some reason he was having trouble abandoning the other boy in his current state. Suppose something happened to Naruto after he left? Suppose his fever spiked, or someone managed to break through his twenty-plus locks on the door? Suppose he woke up alone and felt…well, lonely?

But that was his Uchiha pride's last straw. It could not endure anymore of this disgraceful display of worry, concern, and dare he say it, affection. No, this weak thinking needed to end immediately, and with a powerful surge, Sasuke's pride flared and his eyes narrowed.

This was not his problem. He was not the dobe's keeper. Let the moron figure out his own problems, and let someone else wipe the moron's nose for him.

Satisfied with this acceptable Uchiha response, Sasuke squared his shoulders, hardened his heart against the coughs that were currently wracking his rival's frame, and walked out the door and down the dimly lit hall.

Five minutes and one massive guilt trip later, a very disgruntled and defeated Uchiha stood over a small stove, grumbling as he cooked ramen for a certain blonde in the next room.

The rats, he rationalized to himself, it was all the rats' fault. He didn't care about Naruto in the least, but what self-respecting ninja would allow his teammate, even one as annoying as Naruto, to get devoured by rat-dogs?

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_Not sure I like the way this chapter flowed...I decided that it was going to be out of character for Sasuke to voluntarily play nurse, so Iwanted to set itup in a plausible way...haha, the rationalization process is awonderful thing. Thoughts?_


	3. Breaking the Fever

**An Unexpected Visit**

**Disclaimer**: I **still** don't own Naruto, and I never will!

_The last chapter is up. Thanks for the great reviews so far, and please enjoy the conclusion of An Unexpected Visit..._

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At first, things had gone very well. After a brief fight and a round of name-calling, Sasuke had finally persuaded Naruto to eat some of the ramen (ok, so maybe the kunai being held to the younger boy's throat helped; Sasuke was still trying to get the hang of this "nurse-maid" thing). He had also coaxed his friend into taking a warm shower, hoping the steam would help the congestion in the blonde's chest.

However, soon after the shower ended, things began to fall apart. Sasuke first noticed something was wrong when Naruto's cheeks remained a rosy and heated red, even after being out of the warm water for over twenty minutes.

The blonde had of course waved off his inquiries, swearing that he felt fine, well enough to beat Sasuke in a spar if the older boy wanted proof. The Uchiha let the matter drop.

However, Naruto's condition had continued to plummet before the older genin's eyes, and now his eyes were taking on an almost glassy edge.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, wondering if he should remove some layers off of "Mount Blankie", a towering structure that his teammate had insisted they build on his bed due to how cold his house was (even though, Sasuke noted again, the house was not cold at all).

"What is it now, _mom_?" the kyubi container groused irritably, tired of his friend's mother-henning. Honestly, one Mai was enough…

Grinding his teeth and refusing to acknowledge the insult, Sasuke forced a tone of nonchalance and patience into his voice, "Are you sure you're still feeling alright?"

He received no answer accept some dark, muffled grumbling about "overbearing, know-it-all Uchihas who had nothing better to do than harass innocent Uzumakis" before Naruto turned under Mount Blankie and faced the wall, pointedly ignoring the other boy in his room.

Resisting the urge to wring the blonde's neck, Sasuke forced his clenching fingers to dig into his own knees instead. He had once believed that it was impossible for his teammate to be anymore obnoxious then his usual self, but sick Naruto was proving his theory very, very wrong. Not only was the boy annoying, but his pride refused to accept any help, regardless of how badly he needed it.

Checking the thermometer in his hand, Sasuke cursed under his breath as the flashing numbers read "102.1". The fever was still refusing to break.

Trying not to panic as worry crept into his mind, the youngest Uchiha wracked his brains for something, anything, that could help bring the fever down. What had his own mother used to do when he wasn't feeling well?

A light blush rose to his face as images of his mother singing to him and placing soft kisses on his forehead came to mind. Well _that_ defiantly wasn't going to happen.

Wandering into the kitchen and then the bathroom, Sasuke returned several minutes later with a wet washcloth. Placing a hand on the unresponsive blonde's shoulder, he attempted to turn his stubborn friend over so he could place the cool compress on the sweating forehead.

Naruto resisted his efforts weakly, batting the offending hands away and glaring venom that impressed even Sasuke. "Leave me alone, teme! I don't want your help, _or_ your pity; I can take care of myself!"

"Yeah, that's obvious," the older boy snapped, "since your fever hasn't stopped rising since you woke up, you can barely get yourself to the toilet with falling over, and I practically had to force feed you breakfast!" The brunette's cheeks were beginning to flush a matching shade of scarlet, frustration beginning to get the better of him.

"I bet you just _love_ this, don't you, teme?" Naruto latched onto Sasuke's wrists, restraining him from placing the washcloth on his forehead, his eyes glittering feverishly, "Loud, obnoxious, dead-last Naruto is falling to pieces in front of you, and you get to sit their and rub it in his face. Looks like Uchiha Sasuke once again proves he is superior!" The last sentence was almost spat out, full of anger, frustration, and resentment.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed even more, his teeth forming a snarl as his friend's words stung deep. "Baka," he ground out angrily, his usually carefully planned words spilling out heatedly, "I'm not taking care of you to prove I'm stronger, I'm here because I'm worried about you!"

Both boys continued to glare at one another, both breathing hard, Naruto's breath coming out in ragged wheezes. Sasuke's last statement hung heavily in the air between them, and slowly Naruto's eyes lost their angry spark and his hands loosened on the brunette's wrists, falling limply to the bed beside him.

"Oh fine, just put the stupid thing on then." He was still grumbling, and refused to meet Sasuke's eyes, but all of the fight had gone out of him. He flinched slightly as the cold, moist washcloth came into contact with his fevered face, leaning towards the blissful coolness despite himself.

The older boy sat back on the barstool he had pulled beside Naruto's bed from the kitchen, watching his teammate carefully. Every so often he would reach out and flip the washcloth to a cooler side, or go into the kitchen to rewet it, but for the most part he just sat observing, lost in his own thoughts as Naruto sank into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

An hour later, Sasuke cursed softly to himself as he tucked the blonde securely into bed, ignoring the boy's slurred rambling about "dancing ramen bowls" as he tossed and turned, sweat dripping off his face and soaking his unruly gold curls. With one last look over his shoulder, the brunette sprinted from the house, racing as fast as he could towards the home of Iruka. In his clenched hand, the thermometer flashed "104.2". 

Iruka, although clearly shaken by the news a slightly breathless Sasuke had delivered after pounding hard enough on his old sensei's door to blow it off its hinges, sprang into action quite efficiently. The older man quickly reassured Sasuke that everything would be fine as he walked briskly to his bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet and pulling out various bottles of pills, herbs, and salves.

Within minutes, student and teacher were speeding back towards Naruto's apartment, Iruka leading and taking several shortcuts.

When they arrived, they were greeted by a clone of Sasuke who had been standing guard in front of Naruto's unlocked door, attempting to look as intimidating as possible. Sasuke undid the jutsu wordlessly, dissipating his clone and pushing the door open to usher Iruka inside.

Iruka went straight to the bedroom door, disappearing inside. It was obvious the man had been to the apartment many times in the past, as he knew his way around very well. Placing a hand on the feverish boy's forehead, Iruka's eyebrows creased with worry at the heat radiating off of it. "Oh, Naruto," he spoke softly, rubbing soothing circles on the young boys temples as he attempted to kick of his blankets, "you're a mess."

After that, it became very quiet, except for the random outbursts from a hallucinating Naruto. Iruka set to work immediately, forcing the unresponsive boy to swallow several different colored pills before beginning to combine small pinches of various herbs together.

Sasuke eventually left the bedroom and seated himself on the sofa, unable to do anything but get in the way. The minutes slowly crept by as he snuck furtive and frequent glances at the bedroom door, a knot of worry tightening in his gut.

The young Uchiha hadn't known what to do when Naruto's fever began to spike. He had no medical training past basic first aid, Mai wasn't due back for hours, he didn't want to risk carrying the boy to the hospital, which was some distance away, and Kakashi was on a mission. The only person he could come up with had been Iruka, and as soon as he had thought of the gentle academy teacher, he had sped off as fast as possible, hoping this was just another problem his old teacher could easily produce an answer for.

But Iruka had been in the bedroom for almost an hour now, and Sasuke was trying not to panic. Naruto couldn't die. He just couldn't.

After his clan had been murdered before his eyes (thanks to Itachi's sharingan) the young Uchiha had closed himself off from everyone surrounding him, refusing to allow anyone to get even remotely close to him. The closer they got, the more it hurt when they left. But somehow, despite all of his best efforts, the dobe had managed to slip under all of his defenses and walls, connecting with him not through kindness and sympathy, but with insults and rivalry.

While the younger boy annoyed his teammate to no end, reaching new heights of obnoxiousness on a daily basis, Sasuke had to admit that he was the only individual he could stand being around for more than a few minutes. He had started as an annoying pest that simply poked at the stoic boy, refusing to let him seal himself off and forcing him to acknowledge another individual in his world. The annoyance had become a rival worth competing with, and now…

Now Sasuke suspected that that rival was becoming more than a teammate, more than a comrade. That annoying little pest of a baka had become his friend. His _best _friend. And with this unexpected realization, Sasuke suddenly knew that he simply could _not_ lose him.

Standing up, he squared his shoulders and began marching towards the silent bedroom, determined to find a way to help. However, just as he was reaching to open the door, it swung open, and a tired looking Iruka stepped out.

Wiping at his brow, the teacher gave Sasuke a reassuring smile. "He's going to be fine."

Relief poured over Sasuke, almost overwhelming him, as he continued to latch onto Iruka's heartening words. "There wasn't really anything seriously wrong with him, besides the fever. I'm not sure what triggered it to take off like that, but it finally broke thanks to the pills I gave him. He'll be as good as new in a few days, maybe even tomorrow knowing Naruto. He's an unusually fast healer."

Something glittered deep in Iruka's eyes, mixing with the relief that also shone there. He placed a hand gratefully on Sasuke's shoulder, staring into his student's eyes as if trying to convey something. "I know Mai does her best to look after him, but if you hadn't been here, Sasuke…" he trailed off, his eyes growing watery as they both knew how that sentence ended. The hand gave a gentle squeeze, "Thank you."

Sasuke nodded, his cheeks flushing uncomfortably at the praise. He was becoming lightheaded with relief, and nauseous at the thought of what would have happened if he had given into his earlier pride and left Naruto alone.

Removing his hand and clearing his throat, Iruka gave Sasuke another smile. "Well, he is fine now, just give him some of this tea tomorrow when he wakes up," he handed Sasuke a small bag of mixed herbs. "I have to go, normally I would spend the night with him but with the current shortage of jounin lately, many of the chuunins have been forced to accept larger work loads. That on top of my school responsibilities…" The man trailed off helplessly, obviously feeling guilty for abandoning his favorite student.

"I'll stay the night," Sasuke offered immediately, already having made the decision to stick by his friend until he was sure for himself that the boy was ok.

Iruka nodded again. "Thank you," he said softly, before gathering the few things he had brought with him and heading back to his own house.

Alone once again with his teammate, Sasuke quietly entered the sleeping boy's room, breathing a sigh of relief as he took in the blonde's peaceful sleeping form. Iruka had already changed the sweat soaked sheets with fresh ones, and Naruto looked comfortable enough, his breathing much less strained and his cheeks a normal color.

Sasuke felt a small smile tug at his lips as his mind once again brought up the image of his mother singing to him as a young child. There was no way _that_ was going to happen, but…

Leaning forward, the older boy placed a soft kiss on top of a mountain of unruly curls. Before slipping quietly out of the room, he gave his best friend one last glance. "Goodnight, dobe," he said softly, leaving quietly to make up his own bed on the couch again.

After the figure in his doorway left, the dozing blonde allowed one heavy cerulean eye to crack open and a small smile of his own to creep over his lips. "Goodnight, teme," he whispered softly, before closing his tired eyes and drifting off to sleep.

**-Owari-**

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_Yes, that's all folks! I know I probably could have taken this story a little farther, but I originally wrote it too be just fluff, and fluff it shall remain! If you are looking for something with a little bit more plot, check out the other story I'm currently working on, **It's All in Your Head. **Thank you all very much for your reviews, and let me know what you thought of the end!_


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